Fake degree case: Police custody of Jitender Tomar extended by four days

New Delhi: A court on Monday extended by four more days the police custody of ex-Delhi Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar after investigators said he needs to be taken to Bundelkhand University to ascertain facts about his allegedly "fabricated" migration certificate.

49-year-old Tomar, arrested in a fake degree case on June 9, was produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Preeti Parewa after expiry of his two-day police remand and the police sought extension of his remand by eight more days saying he was also needed to be taken to Munger, Bihar, to verify his address mentioned in the migration certificate of Bundelkhand University.

The police claimed that every time they visit a new place, "new documents" surface so they need to tally specimen as well as admitted signatures of Tomar and the university officials on the educational certificates.

Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) Atul Shrivastava said that last two days of the police custody were second Saturday and Sunday and it not did serve any purpose during their probe as the colleges were closed.

"We have to take him (Tomar) to Bundelkhand University, the place which we have not visited yet, as the fabricated migration certificate of BSc was issued from that university and it was submitted to Tilka Manjhi University, Bhagalpur, from where Tomar had alleged pursued his LLB degree," he said.

"The migration certificate of BSc issued by Bundelkhand University was of the year 2001 while Tomar had allegedly done his LLB first year in 1995. We need to ascertain this fact and requires his presence over there during the investigation," Shrivastava said, adding, "Tomar needs to be confronted with the teachers and his batch mates."

Meanwhile, advocate Rajiv Khosla, who appeared for Tomar, opposed the police's plea saying the very arrest of his client was "illegal" and cops have "mislead" the court in taking six days of police remand till now.

Khosla alleged that Bundelkhand University's migration certificate was a "fabricated document" planted by the police.

"They (police) are seeking police remand just to satisfy the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, the Centre and senior police officials. They want police remand to harass Tomar," he said.

During the hearing, Tomar's counsel said that this case was based upon documentary evidence and there was no need for police remand now.

"Let the police go and recover documents and everything they want," he said while contending that Tomar should be sent to judicial custody.

"Court cannot go on extending police remand for the same thing," he said.

Meanwhile, Shrivastava said that as per the Supreme Court guidelines, 15 days police custody can be granted either in a stretch or in parts so still police remand of eight more days was left.

He also said several seals and signatures of authorities on educational certificates of different universities, where Tomar claims to have studied, were to be ascertained for which his custodial interrogation was required.

At the beginning of the hearing, Tomar's counsel opposed the presence of APP Shrivastava in the matter saying advocate Tarunvir Singh Khehar has already been appointed as special public prosecutor in the case so why a new lawyer was representing police now.

"Initially, advocate Khehar had appeared in the last three hearings in the case and now a new APP has come up. It is a mockery of the judicial system," he said.

Shrivastava, however, clarified to the court that he is an APP and has been assigned this case by Deputy Secretary (Home) of Delhi government.

At this, the court said, "these issues will be dealt with afterwards and let the remand application be heard".

The police had earlier alleged in the court that documents produced by Tomar were "fabricated" and charges under Prevention of Corruption Act might also be invoked in the case.

Tomar, an MLA from Trinagar, was arrested in the morning of June 9 following an investigation into the complaint by Bar Council of Delhi that he had obtained a fake law degree from the Bihar college.

An FIR was registered against Tomar on June 8 at Hauz Khas police station and he was booked for alleged offences of cheating, forgery, using forged documents as genuine, forgery with intent to cheat and criminal conspiracy.